Hoorah, Hoorah for Bruce Montgomery
[Monty in Full, May/June]. Like the
late C.J. Burnett Ed33 L36 G41, he is a rare, enduring faculty treasure
who stands out from the crowd. By having fun with music, Bruce made music fun for
many of us who woudnt have been otherwise inclined. And like C.J., he
was also a helluva good guy!

Robert W. SwaneyW63Newport News, Va.

GENERATION GAFFE

What
a lovely and deserved tribute to Bruce Montgomery! The reference to the Glee Clubs first trip to Puerto
Rico annotated Alumni Secretary Leonard Dills class as C56 when, in
fact, it was I, his son, who graduated that year. Dad, Leonard C. Dill
Jr., was C28 and he had been secretary of the General Alumni Society
(and editor of the Gazette) since early in the 1940s. I think the
Puerto Rico meeting was the first-ever outside the continental U.S. and
that the Glee Club made a major contribution to its success.

Leonard C. Dill IIIC56West
Palm Beach, Fla.

NEXT STOP, RIKERS ISLAND

Loved
the interview with Bruce Montgomery. My friend Meryle Ettleson and I were
the lucky female accompanists for the Glee Club from 1956 to about 1959.
How could Bruce forget our first tour during Spring Break 1957New York
and its environs, including a home for disturbed children and Rikers
Island. Maybe it was just too bizarre to remember. Bruce recognized me
and knew my name 20 years after I had last seen him. He is one of the
most talented, interesting people I have ever known. I wish him all the
best.

Edie SaltzbergCW60Merion Station, Pa.

BRAVO ON MONTGOMERY,
BUTBOBBY TROUP DESERVED BETTER

Thanks
for the profile-Q&A on Bruce Montgomery. He has set in onyx what it
takes to nourish a musical activity at a major university.Miffed
is the only word I can use to describe my feelings about the farewell
to my friend Bobby Troup C40the
only triple-threat matriculate at the University in my undergraduate days:
Beta Gamma Sigma, Mask&Wig, varsity track [Obituaries].However, in my best memory I dont associate Daddy
with a Mask&Wig varsity production. I dont even know if it was downloaded
to the then-Mask&Wig freshman show. I have no knowledge of Mask&Wig
archives since Robert F. [Bo] Brown C28 L31 died. However, there must
be references in the old copies of The Daily Pennsylvanian that
might clarify the status of Daddy.

C. Robert Paul Jr.W39Little
Neck, N.Y.

The reference to Daddy in the obituary was
based on a story in the October 15, 1941 issue of The Daily Pennsylvanian
about an appearance by Sammy Kaye and his orchestra, of which Troup was
then a member, at Penn Night at the Earle Theater. It included the following:
It will be remembered that two years ago this winter Daddy first appeared.
Troup, then a junior and a member of the Mask and Wig Club, wrote the
now famous song and Bobby Martin introduced it to the campus and the world
in the Freshman Mask and Wig Show of that year.Ed.

ARTICLE NEGLECTEDDAMAGE CAUSED BY
PETS

Saving
the Animal Planet [May/June] seems to be a study in contradictions
and rationalizations because of several issues not addressed. The article
fails to mention that human pets such as cats and dogs are carnivores.
As such, other animals must be slaughtered to provide food for them. Domestic
cats are wreaking havoc upon declining song-bird populations in North
America and Europe (the UK especially). While vegetarians may be animal-friendly,
their canine and feline companions are not.Although it is suggested that animals (poultry in
particular) may be healthier (and happier) if allowed to range freely,
one of the major political issues here in the American West is essentially
free-ranging of cattle and sheep on public lands. Environmentalists and
some animal rightists want the practice stopped. Anyone who must travel
or live in the vicinity of feed lots, with their associated stench and
negative environmental impact, can attest that this is not a desirable
alternative way to handle meat production. Also not addressed is the quantity of organic waste
generated and dispersed by pet cats and dogs, especially in urban areas.
This material presents potential health hazards for both humans and other
animals. The issues that must be addressed are not just bringing
food producers and animal rightists to a common ground regarding the humane
treatment of animals, but the associated environmental impacts of keeping
pets as well. If the animal rightists wish to do something positive, they
should promote pet population control (especially for cats and dogs).
Some municipalities do have limits.Dr. Serpells efforts are to be applauded, but there
are many complex and interacting issues involved, and it is not clear
from the article that some of them have been considered.In closing, I note that I am neither a vegetarian
nor do I keep pets.

Clifford D. FerrisEE57
Gr58Laramie, Wyo.

EXCELLENT ISSUE

Thank you for your excellent May/June
2000 issue: feature articles about two of my favorite former professors,
Dan Hoffman [Gazetteer] and Nina
Auerbach [Haunted by an Heiress],
and an astonishing cover by perhaps the most gifted
illustrator alive, Natalie Ascencios. By the way, is Ms. Ascencios an
alumna?

Anthony SplendoraC83
GEd86Milford, Pa.

She is not. And thank you.Ed.

PENN MISSED CHANCE TO LEAD ONCONFLICT-OF-INTEREST GUIDELINES

I
would have been more sanguine about President Rodins otherwise cogent
essay on gene therapy in the May/June Gazette if she had taken
her actions just a bit further [From
College Hall]. I am referring to the most laudable recent actions
of Dr. Joseph Martin, dean of Harvard Medical School, in severely limiting
investigators with a financial interest in the outcome of studies, especially
clinical trials, from participating in such studies. His position, according
to The Boston Globe, was partially influenced by his participation
in a committee investigating the [Institute for Human Gene Therapy]. Here
Penn had a unique chance to lead the way, and missed it. May we look forward
to a verbatim report on that committees findings, or must we await newspaper
coverage?

The
May/June Gazette described Bill Clintons speech at the Granoff
Forum [Gazetteer]. In that speech,
Mr. Clinton gave as a specific reason for the economic expansion of the
nineties the nations willingness to cut the national debt.According to the U.S. Treasury, the national debt
in 1992 was $4.065 trillion and in early 2000 was $5.6 trillion.We know that Clinton slept through truth class, but
it seems that he must also have skipped his math courses.

Henry C. CliffordW52Wainscott, N.Y.

REMEMBERING DR. MITCHELL

I
was saddened to read of the death of Dr. Howard Mitchell Gr51 in the
May/June Gazette. While it is true that Dr. Mitchell was a champion
of social and racial equality, I will remember him as one of Penn basketballs
biggest fans. I had the honor of meeting and getting to know Dr.
and Mrs. Mitchell while broadcasting Penn basketball on WXPN as an undergraduate
student during the late 1970s. Back then, the broadcast booth was right
behind the Quaker bench and Dr. Mitchells seats were right behind us.
The good professor served as a faculty advisor to many of the players,
and I could always count on the inside scoop before the game and his
unique analysis afterward.As our friendship grew in my senior year, Dr. Mitchell
invited me to enroll in his graduate-level management course. While it
was a little unnerving at first being with all of the older and wiser
students, I got to experience first hand what a terrific educator he was.
He will be missed by his students and, more importantly, he will be missed
at the Palestra.

Larry A. JosephW79Philadelphia

DISAPPOINTED AT COVERAGEOF
DR. ROYSTERS DEATH

I was disappointed at the small note
on the passing of Dr. Henry Royster, plastic surgeon and former professor
at the University [Obituaries, May/June].Dr. Royster was a dedicated teacher as well as an
outstanding physician. Under his supervision, repair of cleft palate and
other defects was provided to numerous indigent patients in our area.
When I was a senior medical student an incident occurred which was among
my most memorable. Dr. Roysters teaching technique required a student
to evaluate the patient before he did and present the case to him with
analysis. One day, a female patient refused to allow me to examine her.
On learning this, Dr. Royster calmly explained to her that unless new
physicians were trained there would be a lack of qualified doctors to
succeed him. And further, he would not be the physician for patients who
would not help train the next generation. He left the room; she agreed
to participate in medical education.

Barry HalpernC59
M63South Miami, Fla.

PERTURBED PUZZLE-LOVER

The
May/June Gazette arrived and, as has been my habit for some years
now, I skimmed the articles, looked to see what my classmates are up to,
then turned to the puzzle. I must confess to being a puzzle fanatic and
very much enjoy doing the puzzles. But not this time. Ten of the 24 clues refer to works
of Tennyson. To say the least, the puzzle is unbalanced. It appeals
to a very, very narrow set of people, those who memorize works of Tennyson.
Anyone else is left out. Surely, a person could look up the answers, but, to
a true puzzle fanatic, that is cheating. There is no enjoyment in that.
I might note that I usually do the Gazette doublecrosticthe
correct name for such puzzles, created by a person named Kingsleyin about
an hour. This month, I was tempted to throw the Gazette into the
trash. I may yet.

James R. Coleman, Jr.C67Minneapolis, Minn.

Even lovers of Tennyson may have had the same
reaction. Due to mistakes in editing, there were several errors in last
issues puzzle. For a corrected version, go to our Web site at (www.upenn.edu/gazette/puzzle.html).Ed.